High School students were notified last Friday that they no longer have to take the AIMS as a graduation requirement, thanks to the passage of Senate Bill 1191 on Friday.

"I've heard parents literally begging the TUSD board to let their students walk with their graduating class, when they had four years of high school and fulfilled all the requirements, but still had to pass the AIMS. But legally, the board couldn't allow them to do that. So that was my first thought on hearing the change," commented Betts Putnam ... read more

2013-05-05

Depending on who you talk to, Charter schools in Arizona were enabled for the purpose of innovating and improving education; or for destroying the public school system. In an oppositional political system, probably both have some truth - and perhaps both are happening. Charters undeniably pull students away from district schools. But can they also benefit districts by developing innovative models that work, that districts can then replicate at scale?

Chen Guangcheng: "Citizens of the world, let your voice be heard in support of justice...The nations of the world should shift their focus from trade to human rights"

Chen Guangcheng, the blind dissident who escaped arrest and now lives in the United States, makes a strong plea for people to speak out, and also directly chides Xi Jinping for not improving justice and openness in Chinese society. Chen Guangcheng's nephew has been imprisoned for resisting a beating and other family members have been targeted as well.&nbsp ... read more

Sit! Stay! Play! reminds me of the preschool my youngest daughters went to, where everything from play materials to how snacks were served was set up with a great deal of forethought. Sit Stay Play is like that - its not just a kennel. I found out about it because I needed a place to keep our pups for Thanksgiving, and I wanted them to have a more positive experience than a clean cage. But you can't just board dogs here - they have to interview, see if they will be a good fit, and also have daycare experience before ... read more

Offering Pima County dog daycare and dog boarding. We separate the dogs into our indoor / outdoor play yards based on their size, temperament and play style where they socialize and play with other dogs all day long. We keep a high staff to dog ratio and our camp counselors are certified in dog behavior and pet first aid. Boarding dogs participate in our dog daycare program at no additional charge and are only in their spacious cabins for meals and bedtime. Watch your dog play on our camper cams. Stop by anytime for a tour, we’re sure you’ll love ... read more

Saturday November 24, 2012 events from 9am to 3pm
Learn about ant behaviour and take a beetle home to raise...SASI community day has something to offer for kids to serious entomologists. Also gorgeous nature walk in the Saguaro National Monument West."

The International Wildlife Museum celebrates this holiday season with its “Winter Wildlife” theme throughout the month of December. Holiday decorations will adorn the entire museum. Fun scavenger hunts and crafts focused on winter loving animals and their habitats will be showcased each weekend.

On Saturday, December 15, Santa Claus will be making a special appearance for picture taking from 5-7 PM. Also the weatherman has guaranteed snow flurries from the North Pole for this special occasion ... read more

Every four years, the people and the punditry of this land piously
assert that that particular presidential polling is the big one, the ultimate
decider of our nation’s fate, the true history-maker, the most important
election of our time. An irony, to be sure, as typically each election fades in
our consciousness shortly after, replaced entirely in significance by the
upcoming one, the one that will really change and affect our lives forever.
As for myself ... read more

No more dithering, time to stand up and be counted. Understanding Props 114 thru 204 (well, ok, there are only eleven of them) may seem confusing and time consuming, but at least a few of them are major power or money grabs, or are essential for funding struggling schools. So its worth it to figure them out one way or another.

Sporting a pith helmet, linen suit, and big white mutton chop sideburns, Oliver E. Comstock pedaled his bicycle along Tucson’s dusty roads with a soup kettle hanging from the handlebars. He will never be as famous as Wyatt Earp, but he was a real hero to Tucson’s “Tent City” residents. Sometimes called Tentville, the community started around 1900 in the desert north of the University of Arizona. There were no street lights or sewers, just low-income ... read more

Dr Carmona is not your typical Democratic party candidate. He served under President Bush and was recruited by the republican party to run for office in 2006 (he declined). He was also a deputy sheriff and was decorated with the Medal of Honor for shooting and killing a man who was threatening others, shot at Carmona and who turned out to have killed his own father that morning.

Carmona's experiences in Bush's administration might have something to do with his now running as a Democrat - he felt that the Bush administration ... read more

Maybe Tucson shouldn't feel so bad. Even the 9/11 memorial museum beneath the World Trade Center is mired in dispute over dollars, between the memorial foundation and the Port Authority of NY/NJ. Sentiment is fine, but money is money - and controlling it is not something anyone is going to give up lightly. Still, the new towers are up and close to complete, and the budget dispute has been resolved for now so that construction can resume.

Few know him now, but Harold Bell Wright was once America’s most widely read author. He wrote for almost three decades and at one point he was even more popular than Mark Twain. Not only known for his preaching and writing, Wright told the world about the curative powers of Arizona’s climate.

Born in 1872 in Rome, New York, Wright’s mother died when he was eleven, and he ran away from his alcoholic father a year later. He nearly froze or starved in the winter, worked odd jobs, and survived with the help of strangers.

At age 22 he contracted pneumonia, but also attended a revival meeting; both changed his life. After three years, poor health interrupted his religious studies and he retreated to his uncle’s farm in the Ozarks to recuperate. He became the local pastor and then his speaking talents took him to larger congregations in Kansas City and Chicago. His autobiographical novel, That Printer of Udell’s, was published in 1903.

Arizona's elephant in the living room is also eating everything in the kitchen. Our governor's campaign manager is also a lobbyist for private prison corporations who are getting a bigger and bigger slice of the public pie. Prison expenditures are now 40% higher than spending on universities. Our legislature rejects proven methods in use in other states that the Grand Canyon Institute estimates would save us between $30 million to $73 million per year on prison spending. And adding insult to injury, in the latest ... read more

The winners: Jeff Flake will face Richard Carmona for US Senate ; Ann Kirkpatrick will face Jonathan Paton for Congress in CD1 ; Ron Barber will be up against Martha McSally in CD2. Raul Grijalva trounced both opponents and will face Gabriela Mercer in CD3.

For Sheriff, Clarence Dupnik will be running against Mark Napier. In the state legislature, incumbents generally won their primaries, and voters rejected Russell Pearce's bid to return to his former district, possibly ending his political career ... read more

Ruth Marcus wrote an excellent column about the disingenuous way both Republicans and Democrats responded to Todd Akins offensive remarks about rape victims. In particular she points out that McCaskill is apparently trying to keep Akins candidacy alive, just because he would be easier to beat, and so responded in a wimpy, mealymouthed way to his ugliness. Here's what I wish McCaskill said instead:
------------

Should he withdraw because he spoke his mind and voters have begun to realize who he really is and what he thinks? He's been the same person all along, if you say he should withdraw now then he never should have run. He's who is is, he thinks what he thinks; I'm who I am and think what I think, and voters have a choice. To be honest, if I say everything that's really on my mind I'll probably offend some people, and I'm not going to drop out because of that.
... read more

Open houses are here, and with them an opportunity to help kids and parents connect. Bring a sign up sheet to your child's open house, asking parents to sign up to have their name and contact information in a class directory. Type in all the info, make copies and give them back to the teacher to distribute. Having a directory of the children's parents contact information makes it much easier for families to arrange playdates during the year! And it may even help with bullying problems, if your kids know ... read more

"Our contacts on the ground in Syria have told us that phone and internet service is constantly being throttled, and sometimes it's completely cut off -- just as military tanks roll into a neighborhood. "

MTN, based out of South Africa, is apparently worried about the negative publicity, as their PR department contacted AccessNow to ask how to improve their image. AccessNow responded to them to change their actions on the ground. If the allegations are true, MTN is cutting off a key lifeline - communication - to protestors who are desperate and in danger. When Libya was about to fall, twitter ... read more

Recent SuperBlog Posts:

2013-05-05 \Tucson\Schools & Universities\http://strengthbuilding.org(520) 546-9296Depending on who you talk to, Charter schools in Arizona were enabled for the purpose of innovating and improving education; or for destroying the public school system. In an oppositional political system, probably both have some truth - and perhaps ... read more